Recent applications of organocatalysts in asymmetric aldol reactions

The asymmetric aldol reaction is one of the most powerful synthetic tools for carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions. This method provides a beneficial route to access chiral beta-hydroxy carbonyl compounds, which are versatile synthetic motifs found in biologically active natural products and pharmaceutically attractive intermediates. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the many contributions and recent advances in the field of organocatalytic asymmetric aldol reactions. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.